Match-dispensing box.



A. A..PH|LL!PS.

MATCH DISPENSING BOX APPLICATION r|LEn1uN2 1.|917.'

Lgc. Patented Jan. 29,1918.

' H-H'PHLLIPS ALLEN A. PHILLIPS, OF FRESNO, CALIFORNIA.

MATCH-DISPENSING BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 2a, 191s.

Application filed June 27, 1917. Serial No. 177,301.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ALLEN A. PHILLIPS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fresno, in the county of Fresno and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Match-Dispensing Boxes, of which the following is a speciication, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to match boxes, and particularly to that class of boxes wherein one'match is delivered at a time upon an actuation of the match dispensing mechanism.

The general object of my invention is to provide a very simple, practical and cheaply constructed box of this character' adapted to receive the matches from match packages now found upon the market.

A further object is to provide a device of this character having a dispensing slide shiftable into the box or container and receiving a-match and when pulled out withdrawing a match, so that thereby one match is delivered at a time'as needed.

And a further object is to provide a device of this character in which the match, when withdrawn upon the dispensing slide, is thrown upward out ofthe match receiving groove into a position upon the slide where it may be readily picked up.v

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved match dispensing mechanism, the match containerl being broken away; f

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the match dispenser showing the slide in its receiving position;

Fig. 3 is a like view to Fig. 2, but showing the slide in its dispensing position;

Fig. 4L is a section on the line 1 -4: of Fig. 3; Y y

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the base 10, showing the ejecting spring.

Referring to these figures, 10 designates ythe base of the matchv container, this base.

being about eight inches long and any suitable width, as for instance, three inches. Mounted upon one end of the baseisthe match container having the rear wall 11,

the front wall 12 and the two side walls 13.

The space defined by these walls is somewhat larger in cross section than the cross section of the boxes of matches now on the market. The front wall 12 has its lower edge spaced from the upper face of the base to provide an opening ,1d and shiftable through this opening is a slide 15, the forward end of which is beveled downward and forward as at 16. This slide has a thickness justequal to the depth of the opening 141-. The slide is held in proper position upon the base 10 by means of side pieces 17, which are attached to thevbase and a cover plate 18, which is longitudinally slotted as at 19 for the passage ofthe shank 20 of a button 21 whereby the slide may be reciprocated.

The slide 15 is formed at its beveled en d with a transversely extending groove 22 and the under face of the slide is formed with longitudinally extending grooves 28, which intersect the groove 22. There are two of these grooves 23 and these grooves 23 extend upward and toward the beveled end 16 as illustrated clearly in Fig. 2. The base 10, upon its upper face, is formed with a U- shaped recess or groove '2a having an extension 24:, the rear wall of this extension being downwardly and inwardly inclined. Disposed in the groove is a U-shaped member 25 formed to provide two legs 26 and an upward extension 26a at right angles to the legs and disposed to operate within the extension 24:a of the recess 24. The under face of the slide 15 is formedwith'a longitudinally extending groove 27, which groove is disposed in line with the extension 241 and is suiiiciently deep so as to permit the lug 26a or extension on the member 26 to extend vertically upward when the legs 26 are in a horizontal position and the slide is forced into the match box. The endwall 27EL of the groove 27, upon a retraction of the slide 15, engages with the upwardly extending lug 26EL and throws the forwardl ends.

of the legs 26 upward in the grooves 23. The shank 2O of the operating button passesv through the slide and a nut 28 is disposed at thelower end of the button and in said groove or recess 27 Projecting from the face of the front wall 12 are pins 29, which are disposed immediately above the `groove 22 when the slide 15 is fully retracted. A match thrown up by the arms 26 will strike these pins and will bel deflected downward onto the face of the cover 18. This cover` 18 is provided with a piece of sand paper whereon the matches may be struck.

The container formed by the walls 11, 12 and 13 is normally closed at its upper end by means of a cover or lid 30, which is preferably formed in three parts or sections. The main section has attached to its under face a section 31, which will just fit within the walls 11, 12 and 13 and attached to the upper face of the main section is a section 32, which provides a handle whereby the lid may be withdrawn.

In filling this container with matches, an ordinary box of matches, such as those made to contain 1,000 matches is cut away at its end. rThe container is then inverted land the box of matches is shoved into place between the walls 11, 12 and 13. The container is then turned right side up and the match boxis pulled out leaving the matches in place within the container and the matches extending parallel to the groove 22. Now if it be desired to withdraw a match from the box, the slide 15 is forced inward and one match falls into the groove 22, assuming that this groove is approximately the size of one match. 1f it be desired that the device shall withdraw more than one match, then the groove must be made larger. Upon retracting the slide 15, the match within the groove 22 will be withdrawn and as the slide moves rearward sui'liciently for the groove to escape the front wall 12, the arms 26 will suddenly fly upward throwing the match up against the pins 29 and these pins will throw the match downward against the face of the cover 18.

1t will be seen that this device is very simple, that it may be very cheaply made, and that a considerable economy in matches will be secured by its use.

While have described this device as being particularly adapted for dispensing matches, it will be understood that it might be used for dispensing tooth picks or any other articles of like character. Of course the dimensions of the device will depend upon the article which is to be dispensed thereby.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 1. A device of the character described comprising a base, a container mounted upon one end of the base and having vertical walls, the front wall being cut away, a slide having a beveled end and having a transverse groove on its upper face, the slide being shiftable into `or out of the container, the under face of the slide havinglongitudinally extending grooves intersecting the transverse groove on the upper face of the slide, a U-shaped member rockingly mountedron the base and providing arms disposed in. alinement with the grooves on the under gitudinally ward through said face of the slide and movable upward through said grooves, the 'Ll-shaped member being provided with a lug normally extending upward at a plane at right angles to the plane of the arms, and means on the under face of said slide engaging the lug when the slide is retracted to thereby throw the arms upward and project a match from the groove.

2. A device of the character described comprising av base having a U-shaped recess on its upper face, the recess having a rearward extension, a U-shaped member disposed in said U-shaped recess and having at its rear end an upwardly extending-portion normally projecting above'the upper face of the base, a match container mounted upon one end of the base and having its front wall cut away adjacent the base, a slide longitudinally shiftable upon the baserand having4 a beveled forward end, and a transverse groove in its upper face just rearward of. the forward end, the under face of the slide in alinement with the arms of the U-shaped member being formed with grooves intersecting the match receiving groove, the under face of the slide having a longitudinally extending groove, the forward wall of which is adapted to engage the upwardly projecting portion of the U-shaped member to rock the U-shaped member and urge the forward ends of the arms upward, and means wherev by the slide may be reciprocated.

3. A device of the character described comprising a base having a U-shaped recess on its ripper face, the recess having a rearward extension, a U-shaped member disposed in said U-shaped recess and having at its rear end an upwardly extending portion normally proj eetingl above the upper face of the base. a match container mounted upon one end of the base and having its front wall cut away adjacent the base, a. slide longitudinally shiftable uponV the base and having a beveled forward end, and a transverse groove in its upper face just rearward of the forward end, the under face of the slide in alinement with the arms of the U-shap`ed member being formed with grooves intersecting the match receiving groove, the under face of the slide having arlongitudinally extending groove, the forward wall of which is adapted to engage the upwardly projecting portion of the Ufshapedmember to rock the U-'shaped member and urge the forward ends of the arms upward, a cover extending over the slide and having a lonextending groove, and a handle mounted upon the slide and extending upgroove whereby the slide may be reciprocated.

1l. A device of the character described comprising a lbase formed upon its upper face with an approximately U-shapedrecess having a rearward extension, a U-shaped 120. plate attached to the sides of the base and member mounted in said recess and having an extension at its middle disposed at right angles to the legs of the U-shaped member, a match container mounted upon one end of the base and having rear, side and front walls, the front wall. being cut away adjacent the base, a slide mounted upon the base and having a beveled forward wall and a transverse match receiving groove in its upper face just rearward of the forward end, the under face of the slide being formed with a pair of longitudinally extending grooves alining with the arms of the U- shaped groove in the base, and the 'under face of the slide being also formed with a longitudinally extending groove alining with the upwardly extending portion of said U-shaped member, the forward wall of said groove being adapted to engage with the upwardly extending portion of the U-shaped member to rock the U-shaped member, a cover plate operatively connected to the sides of the base and extending over the slide and formed with a longitudinally extending slot, a handle passing through the slot and into the slide, and a plurality of Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the `being provided with means match delectors projecting out from the front wall of the container.

5. A device of the character described comprising a base having a match container at one end, a slide mounted upon the face of the base and shiftable into or out of the container, said slide having a transverse match receiving groove in its upper face, the under face of the slide having a longitudinal groovey intersecting the match receiving groove, a rocking arm mounted upon the base and disposed in said longitudinal groove and having an upwardly extending portion at its rear end, the under face of the slide for engaging said upwardly extending portion to thereby rock the arm to urge it upward through the match receiving groove when the slide is retracted.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ALLEN A. PHILLIPS. Witnesses:

F. CROW, C. T. ELLIOTT.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington. I). C1 

